Asif Patyal, International Organization for Migration (IOM) representative, told a meeting of the Kandahar Resettlement Committee that of the fresh returnees, 2736 families had been assisted.

The meeting was presided over by Abdul Hanan Munib, deputy financial and administrative affairs head at the Kandahar Governor’s House.

Besides Patyal, Kandahar refugee and repatriation director Mohammad Azim Nawabi and other provincial government officials and representatives of donor countries attended the meeting.

Patyal said the IOM would continue assisting families returning from Pakistan.

The IOM assists undocumented refugees returning from Pakistan while legal refugees are being assisted by UNHCR.

Abdul Hanan Munib thanked donor agencies and urged them to arrange vocation training courses for the returning families and help them find jobs.

Kandahar refugee director Mohammad Azim Nawabi said materials for construction of a township for the returning families were being prepared.

He admitted only the UN refugee agency was assisting the returning families and the government had no contribution.

He said 1200 acres of land had been identified for the construction of a township for the refugee families in Panjwai district and work on building facilities at the township was underway.

He said plots at the township would be distributed to the refugee families through a commission after facilities like clean drinking water, roads and electricity were completed.

However, he said the process of building facilities at the township had been slow going due to the lack of budget.

The director said one township was not enough for the returning families and another nearly 2000 plots were required for which land had been specified in Zheri, Daman and Spin Boldak districts.

Nawabi urged the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation to resolve the lack of budget issue and launch work on facilities at all proposed townships in order all the returning families could be accommodated.